Issue date: March 21, 1999

STRAIGHT TALK
By Jeffrey Zaslow (Zaslow is an advice columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.)

In this article:
Swing recommendations
The next music wave

Former Stray Cat Brian Setzer was '80s cool (rockabilly), is '90s cool (his own swing orchestra) and knows what
will be cool next (you'll have to read the article for that).

ive men on saxophone, four on trumpet, four on trombone, a drummer, a big guy slapping a stand-up bass, and in front, veteran rocker Brian Setzer slashing away on electric guitar. With big bands back in a big way, Setzer is leading a swing revival by mixing rock's wild sensibilities with your grandfather's coolest musical memories.

Setzer, 39 and the former leader of the Stray Cats, has even turned his '80s hit Rock This Town into a big-band anthem. Plus, he took home two Grammys last month for his Dirty Boogie disc. "Swing music will get even bigger," he predicts, "because it's in our culture, it's in our genes and, man, people like it."

Q: What's different now from your Stray Cats days?

I was 21 the first time. It was a bumpier ride. We were kids. What did we know? We'd say, "You're a manager? You're a lawyer? You've got a suit on. You look honest." We signed away everything. We got ripped off a lot.

Q: When did you first start to swing?

I played the euphonium [a brass wind instrument] 10 years as a kid. I played in the marching band in high school. It gave me a sense of how to play with an orchestra. It gave me discipline. I learned how to read and write music. I don't know many rock guys who can read music.

Q: You've been touring with Bob Dylan. He doesn't seem like much of a swinger.

Well, he's got his moves. People say, "You and Bob? That seems kind of funny." But the tour works, because we're both based in the blues.

Go to top

Q: Recommend some classic swing for newcomers.

Count Basie. Bobby Darin. The late-'50s Sinatra stuff. Listen to Louis Prima from the '50s, not the '40s, because in the '50s it had the rock 'n' roll influence. [Kids today] don't want to hear that sweet 1930s Lawrence Welk sort of sound. They want big-band music that rocks.

Q: Do rockers today take themselves too seriously?

Well, everyone is staring at their shoes. With this big band, we have fun. Our guys spin their trumpets together. They all wear turquoise jackets with lime-green lapels. This band swings, but it rocks. It's entertainment.

Q: I understand a Japanese car company offered
you $75,000 to use your song Built for Speed in a car commercial. Why did you turn it down?

Nothing against the Japanese. I'm flattered they'd ask. But I wrote that song about a '57 Chevy. I couldn't watch a Nissan rolling around in a commercial with that song. It wouldn't feel right.

Q: You have tattoos everywhere. Any plans for more?

I've come this far - I've got to do more. I'm going to do my back next. I'll just remember what my dad said: "Never get a tattoo where a judge can see it. If you're ever before a judge and he sees a tattoo on your neck or hands, he'll brand you a criminal."

Go to top

Q: Make a prediction about the next musical revival.

Doo-wop. I think it's bubbling under. You've got young boy groups like 'N Sync. I'd like to explore it someday. I have ideas for doing it differently, but I can't tell you how, because then someone will beat me to it.

Q: Big-band legends like Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey are dead, but their "ghost bands" still tour. Should the Brian Setzer Orchestra stay on the road when you're gone?

Without me? Gee, I don't know. That's kind of like picturing your wife with somebody else after you're gone. You don't want to think about it.

Photo by Neal Preston